Tag Archives: budget

What Does the Lame Duck Session of Congress Hold for US Federal Appropriations and COVID Negotiations?

Will former Vice President Joe Biden prevail in his quest to become president, or does President Trump once again defy conventional wisdom as he did in 2016?   Do Democrats attain majority status in both chambers of Congress, or will Republicans maintain a Senate firewall?   What lies ahead with regard to fiscal year 2021 … Continue Reading

Markups on Appropriations Bills Begin in the House this Week with FY2018 MilCon-VA Bill; House Republican Members Push for an Omnibus Before August Recess

Legislative Activity Markups on Appropriations Bills Begin in the House this Week with FY2018 MilCon-VA Bill; House Republican Members Push for an Omnibus Before August Recess Appropriations subcommittees in the House will commence FY 2018 spending bill markups this week, with the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (MilCon-VA) subcommittee markup scheduled for this evening. Still … Continue Reading

Return of Senate’s Comprehensive Energy Bill to Move Prior to July 4th Recess; Administration Reviews Clean Power Plan

Legislative Activity Revival of the Comprehensive Energy Bill Last week, by unanimous consent, the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced 11 bills governing energy infrastructure and efficiency. The bills address a range of issues including:  skill preparation for energy-related jobs; improvement to hydroelectric licensing; retrofits for schools; increasing energy and water efficiency for federal facilities … Continue Reading

With a Passing Glance at the President’s Request, Congress Continues Work on FY 2018 Appropriations

Legislative Activity With a Passing Glance at the President’s Request, Congress Continues Work on FY 2018 Appropriations President Trump’s FY 2018 budget request, which was released on May 23, was received in Congress with reservation by Democrats and Republicans alike. The $4.09 trillion federal budget request, entitled “A New Foundation for American Greatness,” proposes cutting … Continue Reading

Department of Energy To Cut Energy Development Regulations; EPA Stays Landfill Rules; Senate To Consider Nominations for DOE, EPA, DOI and Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Regulatory Activity Department of Energy Cutting Energy Development Regulations This follows our earlier report highlighting the Trump Administration’s recent memo with specifics as to how the President expects agencies to carry out his previously issued energy Executive Order (EO) 13783 – “Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth”. EO 13783 directs agencies to identify regulations that would … Continue Reading

President’s Budget; FAA Reauthorization; Drone Registration Rule; GHG Rule; MPO Consolidation Rule

Legislative Activity President’s Budget Expected this Week President Trump is expected to release his FY 2018 budget this week, and transportation stakeholders are eager to see whether the full budget includes cuts to transportation programs with bipartisan Congressional support that were included in the President’s “Skinny Budget” released in March. In particular, the Skinny Budget … Continue Reading

Appropriators Turn Attention to FY 2018 Process Without the Guidance of a Budget Resolution; President Trump’s FY 2018 Budget Proposal Anticipated on May 23

Legislative Activity Appropriators Turn Attention to FY 2018 Process Without the Guidance of a Budget Resolution Now that the FY 2017 budget is finalized, appropriators are ready to focus on the FY 2018 process, even though the budget committees have yet to produce a budget resolution to provide topline spending levels for the upcoming fiscal … Continue Reading

Future of Budget Reconciliation Unclear; President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Request Begins Moving Through Congressional Process

Legislative Activity Budget Reconciliation and FY 17 Appropriations The House FY 17 budget reconciliation measure- the American Health Care Act, aimed at “repeal and replace” of the Affordable Care Act- did not receive a floor vote last week, and its future is now uncertain. Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) said the House Republican party “will need … Continue Reading

Trump Releases FY 2018 Budget Blueprint and Sends FY 2017 Military and Border Supplemental to Congress

Executive Branch Activity Trump Releases FY 2018 Budget Blueprint Last week, President Donald Trump released his FY 2018 “skinny budget,” intended to serve as the blueprint for his full budget request expected in May. As anticipated, the $1.1 trillion budget request adheres to the topline discretionary spending cap of $1.1 trillion mandated by the Budget … Continue Reading

President Trump Requests 2018 Budgets Slashed for EPA, Energy, Interior and Water; Upcoming Executive Orders for Oil and Gas

Executive Branch Activity  EPA, DOE, Interior, and Water 2018 Budgets Cut in President Trump’s Request to Congress EPA:  President Donald Trump’s FY 2018 budget request, which was released last week, included a significant 31.4 percent decrease for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), from the current funding level of $8.2 billion to $5.7 billion. This represents the … Continue Reading

House Passes FY 2017 Defense Appropriations Bill; President Trump to Deliver FY 2018 Budget Outline This Week; Debt Ceiling Suspension Expires This Week

Legislative Activity FY 2017: House Passes Defense Appropriations Bill, What About the Rest? The House passed its $577.9 billion FY 2017 defense appropriations bill (H.R. 1301) last week by a vote of 371-48 which included a $6.8 billion increase in procurement funding above the Obama Administration’s budget request for the fiscal year. The chamber still … Continue Reading

Fiscal Year 2017 Defense Appropriations Bill Revives Process; Legislative Fate of Other Spending Bills Uncertain; President Trump’s Budget Receives Differing Reactions; House Appropriators Begin Work on FY 2018

Legislative Activity FY 2017 Defense Appropriations Bill The House is expected to vote on its FY 2017 defense spending bill this week. The legislation, released by appropriators on Thursday, totals $577.9 billion, which is $5.2 billion higher than  the FY 2016 level, and in line with the parameters contained in last year’s National Defense Authorization … Continue Reading

Congress Looks to Finalize Funding for the Current Fiscal Year; Trump’s FY 2018 “Skinny Budget” Expected Mid-March

Executive Branch Activity Trump’s FY 2018 “Skinny Budget” Expected Mid-March The Trump Administration is reporting it will release its FY 2018 budget proposal by mid-March, according to White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. The proposal is expected to be a “skinny budget” and provide an outline of the President’s fiscal goals, while a more comprehensive … Continue Reading

Fiscal Year 2018 Pared-down Budget Expected in “Next Few Weeks”; Reconciliation Timeline Still Unclear; Border Wall Costs Higher than Expected

Legislative Activity President Trump’s FY 2018 Budget Proposal The Trump Administration intends to release a FY 2018 budget proposal within the “next several weeks” according to President Trump’s Press Secretary, Sean Spicer. It is likely that this submission will be an outline (“skinny budget”) which will lay the groundwork for a more complete budget plan … Continue Reading

Mulvaney Confirmation Vote Moves to Full Senate; Debate Continues on the Return of Earmarks; President Trump to Deliver Delayed Budget Request

Legislative Activity OMB Director-Nominee Rep. Mulvaney’s Confirmation Vote Moves to the Full Senate Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) is one step closer to being confirmed as President Donald Trump’s Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) after being confirmed in a party-line vote by the Senate Committee on the Budget (12-11) and the Senate … Continue Reading

OMB Director-Designee Mulvaney to Testify at Confirmation Hearings

Legislative Activity Confirmation Hearing for OMB Director Nominee On Tuesday, January 24, the Senate Committee on the Budget and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will hold confirmation hearings for President Donald Trump’s nominee for Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC). It is anticipated that … Continue Reading

House Majority Leader McCarthy Ensures Passage of a Continuing Resolution Before December 9 Deadline; Basic Fiscal Year 2017 Budget Resolution Expected in 115th

Legislative Activity Continuing Resolution Although Congress is set to be in session for another two weeks, it is likely the House will adjourn for the year as soon as this Thursday afternoon. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has promised the House will vote on a Continuing Resolution (CR) before the current CR expires on … Continue Reading

Senate Scheduled to Vote on Continuing Resolution on Tuesday; Conservative House Members Introduce 40-Day Spending Extension

Legislative Activity The text of the Fiscal Year  2017 continuing resolution (CR) was released by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on September 22. The $1.067 trillion spending legislation would provide full fiscal year funding for the Military Construction and Veterans Administration programs and run through December 9, 2016.  The bill includes $1.1 billion for  … Continue Reading

House to Consider FY 2017 Interior-Environment Spending Legislation; House Appropriations Committee to Mark-Up Final Two Remaining Spending Bills; Senate Action Stalls; Future of Zika Negotiations Unclear; Division Over Length of a Fiscal Continuing Resolution

Legislative Activity House Floor Consideration of Interior-Environment Appropriations The House Committee on Rules will meet this evening to review the 157 amendments filed to the Interior-Environment FY 2017 appropriations legislation (H.R. 5538), many of which would halt the implementation of climate and environment rules proposed by the Administration, such as those related to fracking and … Continue Reading

House Passes Legislative Branch Appropriations Legislation Under Structured Rule, Committee Work Continues

Legislative Activity House Passes Legislative Appropriations Bill Last week, the House passed a $3.5 billion FY 2017 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill by a vote of 233-175, largely along party lines, after Speaker Paul Ryan brought the bill to the floor under a “structured rule” to limit amendments. Reversing his stance for an open amendment process, … Continue Reading

House Considering Legislative Branch Final Passage with Structured Rule, Senate to Move on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Spending Bill in Committee

Legislative Activity House to Try Again on Passing an FY 2017 Spending Bill Congress left for its Memorial Day Recess with the failure of the House to pass the typically non-controversial Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill (H.R. 5055) over disputes on amendments related to LGBT anti-discrimination and the Iran nuclear deal, among others. The President … Continue Reading

House and Senate to Continue Appropriations Bills Markups, Floor Consideration; Appropriations Issues Highlight: Zika Funding and Amendments on Confederate Flags and LGBT Protections

Legislative Activity House and Senate to Continue Appropriations Bills Markups, Floor Consideration The House and Senate Appropriations Committees will continue to markup appropriations bills this week, while the House is expected to consider its FY 2017 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill on the floor. It is unclear which appropriations bill the Senate will consider … Continue Reading
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